Elise Jefferson, M.A.
A2L Consulting

Some of the most valuable learning opportunities are provided through educational forums such as conferences or webinars. These forums allow for litigators to learn skills directly from individuals with expertise on everything from presentation styles to issues with expert witnesses. Many of the articles on the A2L Website offer advice and examples on how to improve your overall skills as an attorney. Several articles also address how to approach cases involving topics from product liability to patent litigation. While reading these articles is helpful, it is equally helpful to learn about these topics in-person or via streaming video. Indeed, A2L's consultants are frequent speakers at conferences and at on-site firm CLEs.

The conferences and webinars listed below address various topics that are meant to assist all attorneys, regardless of what types of cases are typically handled by your law firm. Attending these conferences or webinars will allow attorneys to expand their knowledge base in their respective areas of litigation, as well as improve upon their overall skills as trial attorneys.

1. The Presentation Summit: Oct. 12-15, 2014

Description: Creating successful presentations is about more than just software. It is about crafting sharp messages, creating intelligent presentation design, employing efficient techniques with PowerPoint and other apps, and realizing natural and genuine delivery. Our annual conference for the presentation community delivers all of this at levels you won’t find anywhere else on the planet.

At A2L, we often write about PowerPoint and delivering great courtoom presentations. It is a topic we are both expert in and passionate about.
 

2.  Cheap Talk: Witness Payments and Conferring with Testifying Witnesses: October 22, 2014

Webinar

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET

Description:

Witness compensation evokes a slew of ethical traps for litigators. Avoid these traps by broadening your understanding of the ethical rules regarding witness compensation and conferring with testifying witnesses. This webinar will cover:

• When "compensation" crosses over to "inducement to a witness"
• How lawyers can avoid sanctions under Model Rule 3.4
• Just how much the lawyer can consult with their witness during deposition or trial testimony breaks under Model Rule 1.1

This webinar will be extremely helpful to both civil and criminal attorneys who oftentimes need to pay expert witnesses for their services. It can be sold as a refresher on ethical guidelines and how to ensure that attorneys are compensating witnesses appropriately. Be sure to read our articles on experts such as 7 Things Expert Witnesses Should Never Say and The Top 14 Testimony Tips for Litigators and Expert Witnesses.

3.  Using Social Media in the Jury Selection Process: October 15, 2014

Webinar

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET

Because social media is so pervasive, lawyers need to understand how to ethically incorporate social media review into their litigation practice. Join our panel of experts as they:

• Analyze ABA Formal Ethics Opinion 466
• Review best practices
• Discuss the successful use of social media in securing impartial and fair juries

 Description: Because social media is so pervasive, lawyers need to understand how to ethically incorporate social media review into their litigation practice. This 90-minute webinar will provide background and in-depth analysis of ABA Formal Ethics Opinion 466 on reviewing juror social media and will note state opinions on the same subject. Best practices will be highlighted, including how to educate the judge about social media and work with opposing counsel to develop social media protocols. Finally, learn from fellow lawyers who have successfully used social media to help their clients secure an impartial and fair jury.

This webinar directly relates to several articles on the A2L website regarding the use of social media in jury selection and research. It covers the ethical guidelines and how social media relates to these guidelines, and also suggests helpful ways in which social media can be used.

4.  30th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference: March 25-27, 2015

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center

5701 Marinelli Rd North Bethesda, MD 20852-2785

Description: In a world where value is key, every IP practitioner needs avenues for their own innovation. Come and experience the 30th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference in Bethesda, MD, offering three days of premiere CLE programming and networking events.

Gain knowledge and insight from IP experts and practitioners from around the world who will discuss the most critical issues in IP law.  

• Stay Current on Issues Critical to Your Practice
• Refine Your Knowledge & Skills
• Expand Your Network
• Fulfill Your MCLE Requirements

The 30th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference provides cost effective value—offering over 40 dynamic CLE programs and an incomparable opportunity for networking.

For A2L clients who are involved or interested in intellectual property law, this conference in Bethesda will delve deeper into issues that will affect litigators in the near future, as well as offer advice on how to approach litigation in this particular area. As with all conferences, it will also allow for networking opportunities.

5.  32^nd National CLE Conference: January 7-11, 2015

Vail, Colorado

Description: 8 Programs/Tracks Available

• Bankruptcy
• Civil Litigation
  • Effective Expert Attacks – Methods and Techniques for Investigation and Cross-Examination
  • Mass Tort Perspectives: Plaintiff v. Defendant – Panel
  • Ethics and E-Discovery: Recent Developments and New Challenges for Litigators
  • And others…
  • Employee Benefits
  • Environmental Law, Land Use, Energy, and Litigation
  • Family
  • Health
  • Intellectual Property
  • Labor & Employment

Perhaps the most valuable of the conferences, this CLE program allows litigators to choose from several different tracks, according to the type of litigation typically covered by their firm. Each track includes 2 day’s worth of presentations from esteemed judges and attorneys. Highlighted is the Civil Litigation track (as most of our clients try civil cases), where 3 of the presentations offered are listed. The conference is also family-friendly and offers activities for children and spouses.
 

6.  Masters Conference for Legal Professionals: eDiscovery Hot Topics: Predictive Analytics, Social Media, Mobile Devices, & FRCP Changes: Oct. 21, 2014

The Masters Conference for Legal Professionals is held in regional locations throughout the U.S. Each event will last from 11:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and is followed by a happy hour until 7:00 p.m. Each event offers two educational tracks that will allow attendees to learn from corporate and law firm thought leaders.

Locations include:

• Washington, D.C.: Oct. 21, 2014
• San Francisco: March 24, 2015
• Chicago: May 19, 2015
• Philadelphia: July 21, 2015

Description: Whether you are dealing with e-Discovery in a new, socially networked world, find your company expanding globally and thus facing international discovery issues, or planning for the future of e-Discovery in your firm or company, you know there’s a divide between what is in practice today and where your firm needs to be in the near future. Legal professionals must develop strategies for spanning this e-Discovery divide before it expands further across traditional borders, whether physical or technical.

Litigation support professionals and attorneys have a new forum to gather the latest information on e-Discovery, data protection, records management and more: The Masters Conference for Legal Professionals. 

This conference covers various issues and aspects of eDiscovery. It will allow litigators to learn more about this particular type of discovery and how it may affect future litigation conducted by their firms.

7.  DRI 2014 Annual Meeting: October 22^nd – October 26, 2014

San Francisco, CA

Description: Join us for DRI’s 2014 Annual Meeting—“DRI for Life”—October 22 - 26, at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Cosmopolitan flair, spectacular scenery, and cultural diversity make San Francisco one of the top destinations in the world. Perennial favorites include Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, the cable cars, Golden Gate Bridge, and the nearby wine country. The city is acclaimed as home of the world’s best restaurants and its shopping hub, Union Square, anchors a who’s who of world-famous stores just steps from the Marriott Marquis. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience a city full of life, attend stellar educational programs, and visit with friends and colleagues, new and old.

This conference offers CLEs over the course of 4 days, and covers a variety of topics, including: product liability, drugs and medical devices, health care law, and torts and environmental law, among many others. The conference is meant to provide comprehensive insight into various topics faced by litigators in multiple aspects of defense litigation. We have always felt DRI publishes the best materials on LinkedIn and their conferences share similar value.
 

Other articles related to CLEs, speaking events and making presentations generally on A2L Consulting's site:

• 17 Topics We Would Absolutely Love to Speak to Your Group About
• CLE Instruction from A2L's Litigation Consultants
• 14 Tips for Delivering a Great Board Meeting Presentation
• [Complimentary 147-page E-Book] How to Deliver a Great Presentation
• 12 Reasons Bullet Points Are Bad (in Trial Graphics or Anywhere)
• How to Structure Your Next Speech, Opening Statement or Presentation
• 21 Steps I Took For Great Public Speaking Results
• 12 Ways to SUCCESSFULLY Combine Oral and Visual Presentations
• The Magic of a 30:1 Presentation Preparation Ratio
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